Middle-Age Women Sexually Adventurous as Fertility Dwindles

Women in their 30s and 40s are more willing to engage in a
variety of sexual activities to capitalize on their remaining childbearing
years, according to a new study.

The results show women ages 27 to 45 have a heightened sex
drive in response to their dwindling fertility.

Such "reproduction expediting" includes one-night
stands and adventurous bedroom behavior, the research shows.

"Our findings suggest that women don't need to
necessarily go 'baby crazy' in their 30s or go around thinking they're supposed
to be having a 'sexual peak,'" said study researcher Judith Easton, a
psychology graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin.

"Our results suggest there is nothing special about the
30s, but that instead these behaviors manifest in all women with declining
fertility," Easton said. "It may be more difficult to conceive
past the age of 35, but our research suggests women's psychology will continue
to motivate them to try until menopause."

The researchers recruited 827 women from the University of
Texas at Austin and from Craigslist.com. Most of the participants, 661, had no
children.

The women were split into three groups: high fertility (ages
18 to 26); low fertility (27 to 45): and menopausal (46 and up). The
respondents answered an online questionnaire about their sexual attitudes and
behavior.

Compared with the other groups, women in the low-fertility group
were more likely to experience:

Contrary to their predictions, the researchers found that both
low- and high-fertility women (excluding menopausal women) who were in
relationships fantasized equally about their current romantic partners and
other people.

According to a 2010 report from the Pew Research Center's
Social & Demographic Trends, mothers of newborns in all race and ethnic
groups are now
older than their counterparts 20 years ago. Fourteen percent of births in
2008 were to women ages 35 and older, and 10 percent were to teens.

With more women having children past their peak childbearing
years, Easton says the research will have implications on reproductive and sexual
health issues, such as fertility, sexual dysfunction and marital
development.

The results will be published in an upcoming issue of the
journal Personality and Individual Differences.

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